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Dartmoor French Polishing
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French Polishing, furniture restoration. French Polishing is an art - applying shellac to a Piece of fine furniture or woodwork that produces a tough surface with a very glossy, mirror-like finish.
French Polishing dates back as far as the Victorian era, but was brushed aside early in the 20th century in favour of less labour-intensive methods of finishing. However, this "lost art" produces a luster that is next to impossible to duplicate with mass-production methods. French Polish finishes are also very easy to repair.
A Little French Polishing History
Prior to the introduction of shellac as a finishing material in the early 1800's, the traditional means of finishing furniture to a high gloss was accomplished by applying beeswax in thin layers with a cloth and then polishing it up to the desired gloss. These wax finishes did not wear well and were easily damaged by water and abrasion. The technique of applying shellac by rubbing it on the furniture with a cloth pad or "French Polish" is generally regarded to have begun around 1810-1820 in France and its acceptance as the favoured finish for fine furniture spread quickly to Britain and throughout the rest of Europe. In France, the method for French polishing used fine pumice stone mixed with the sawdust of the wood to fill the pores so that a glass-smooth finish could be obtained. In Britain, polishers used plaster mixed with various dry pigments to fill the pores. Then linseed oil was applied to the wood to bring out figure. Subsequent thin coats of shellac were applied with a fad or rubber (a cloth pad). The result was a finish of great depth and clarity, the trade mark of a good French Polish Finish.
French Polishing quickly spread to America but with some variations. Information on the early technique is scant, but a finishing book published in 1827 describes the general French Polishing technique. The process omitted the pumice or plaster steps to fill the pores. Instead, a size of diluted animal hide glue was brushed on open-grained woods like walnut and then smoothed with glass paper (the equivalent of our modern sandpaper) when dry. Then a linen rag with a flannel core was used to apply the shellac in circular motions over the entire piece of wood. This was repeated several times until a suitable French polish finish was obtained.
There is no question that French Polishing remained a favoured furniture finish in England from the early 1800's up to its displacement by cellulose-nitrate based lacquers at the end of World War II. While brushing and spraying shellac became the favoured applications, the method of "padding" shellac with a cloth has continued to the present day as a easy and practical way to French Polish.
Padding shellac is a process that is perfectly suited to the professional . The advantages that it offers are numerous. First, the process uses shellac, a non-toxic natural resin. The carrier for shellac, ethanol, is relatively non-toxic (ethanol is the alcohol in liquor) and the fumes are not unpleasant . Secondly, shellac dries fast, so dust does not pose a great problem and French Polish finishes can be done rather quickly, usually in several days. Third, shellac is a good-looking, durable finish that can be easily repaired if damaged.
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